KOZHIKODE/T’PURAM : The state government has decided not to retain senior lawyer P V Dinesh as its counsel in the Supreme Court in the T P Chandrasekharan murder case.
Dinesh, a CPM sympathiser, was appointed during the LDF rule. Legal sources said “Dinesh will not be retained to appear on behalf of the state in the TP case as his appearance will not help provide justice to the victim. He was appointed by the previous Left government having special interest in the case.”
It’s not yet clear who will replace Dinesh as the sources close to the state government said they are yet to finalise a name.
Vadakara MLA and T P Chandrasekharan’s wife K K Rema has welcomed the government’s decision, saying the move is important to ensure that the case is pursued effectively and that justice is ultimately delivered.
Rema said she had been raising concern over the manner in which the case was being represented before the Supreme Court and had approached the new government with a specific request to appoint a senior and experienced criminal lawyer to represent the state.
“I welcome the government’s decision to change the counsel representing the state in the T P Chandrasekharan murder case. I had been demanding this because I believe the state should make every effort to ensure that the case is presented strongly before the Supreme Court and that justice is done,” Rema told the TNIE.
Rema said her demand was not aimed at any individual lawyer, but was based on her concern that the state should have the best possible legal representation in a case involving the murder of a political leader and that has been continuing for more than a decade.
“I had suggested a few names to the government, keeping in mind the nature and importance of the case. The government can examine those names and take an appropriate decision.
What is important for me is that an experienced criminal lawyer who can effectively present the state’s position before the Supreme Court should represent the government,” she said.
Rema had earlier raised allegations that there was an understanding or collusion between the legal teams representing the accused and the government during the previous LDF government’s tenure. She said her demand for a change in counsel should be viewed in the context of her long-standing effort to ensure that there was an effective legal battle on behalf of the state.
Rema also welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision to defer the hearing of the bail pleas filed by seven convicts in the case, including Kodi Suni. The accused had sought bail, citing their prolonged incarceration of more than 13 years.
Rema, who is a respondent in the bail proceedings, had sought additional time to file her response before the court. The bench headed by Justice Satish Chandra Sharma subsequently adjourned the matter by three weeks and directed Rema to submit her response within two weeks.
